My Sister, Vanished and Returned

「Cornelius, let the knights of Dunkelfelger who have joined us take care of the enemy, and we will go to guard our master.」

Leonore said, indicating Rozemyne on the altar. The Waschen that seemed to cover the entire auditorium had separated us from our master Rozemyne. We need to join up with her as soon as possible. Nodding to Leonore’s suggestion, we both rode our Highbeasts down to the spectator seats.

However, as we were running toward the altar, something unusual happened. Rozemyne’s wind shield combined with the clash of Ferdinand-sama’s and Gervasio’s mana attacks. As if in response to the mana of the three, a pillar of light shot out from the statues’ divine instruments.

「What!」

「Kya! It’s so bright!」

The flash was so strong that I had to cover my face with my cloak and shut my eyes. When the light dissipated, the three of them had disappeared from the altar, and I turned to Leonore in shock.

「Gone…? Where did they go?」

「This is beyond our control, so let’s regroup with the others for now. We can’t risk getting attacked here.」

I nodded at Leonore’s pragmatic decision. Prince Anastasius had headed for the altar via Highbeast, blocked by an invisible wall and targeted by the silver-cloaked men. The prince’s guard knights and the knights of Dunkelfelger were struggling to protect him. Looking down from the spectator seats, we noticed the Dunkelfelger knights capturing the men of the Central Order one after another. Matthias and Laurenz seemed to be helping them.

We decided to enhance ourselves with mana and ride our Highbeasts down to the lower level.

「…There’s something strange going on with our enemies.」

「Yeah, like they suddenly lost all their momentum.」

The enemy knights, who had been attacking us with great vigor, lost their will to fight for some reason. I saw a number of knights looking puzzled, as if they did not know what was going on.

「The knights with silver cloaks still seem quite hostile, but the ones with black cloaks are simply allowing themselves to be captured by Dunkelfelger with little to no resistance.」

「Yes. Let’s join Matthias and Laurenz and help them capture the knights. We don’t want the Dunkelfelger knights who came later to say that the Ehrenfest knights did nothing, do we?」

「Yeah. Now that all eyes are on the royal family, we can get off our Highbeasts.」

Prince Anastasius stood in front of the altar, as Magdalena-sama and Aub Dunkelfelger were in the center of the auditorium in front of the dedication dance stage. Many knights were distracted by the sight of Magdalena-sama and Aub Dunkelfelger hunting down the Central Knight Commander.

Leonore and I descended our Highbeasts and joined Matthias and the others to help them capture the remaining enemies. Unlike before, we now outnumbered them. Regardless of their silver weapons and armor, we could now exploit their blind spots to strike them down before they got the chance to use anything. This allowed us to keep up the pressure and prevent them from recovering their momentum.

A few of the enemy knights even left their lines as if asking to be captured. It was not a difficult battle by any means.

「Take a break and leave the rest to Dunkelfelger. Only the knights of Dunkelfelger have received permission to transport the prisoners to the palace.」

Grateful for Heisshitze-sama’s kindness, the knights of Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach began taking a rest.

「Are the potions safe?」

I asked the question to Hartmut and Clarissa who were waiting near the entrance of the auditorium.

「Yes, I held onto them during the Waschen. Make sure you send the words of praise to Rozemyne-sama.」

Hartmut smiled and offered me a restorative potion. While I was impressed by the fact that he managed to protect them from the water, I knew not to say anything complimentary. Without a single word, I swallowed a small pill along with a recovery potion. This is the kind of ration we use when we are short on time, and it provides me with some sustenance for the time being. Then Eckhart and Justus-sama also came over for potions.

「Can you give us some too?」

「There won’t be enough for the knights of Ahrensbach……」

「We have them gathered off to the side, so don’t worry about them.」

Indeed, Justus-sama had pointed in a direction where many Ahrensbach cloaks were gathered. They’re supposedly our allies for the time being, but now that we have captured our common enemy and our masters Rozemyne and Ferdinand-sama are gone, we can’t help but be cautious. I felt more comfortable keeping them at a distance.

「And where the hell is Ferdinand-sama anyway?」

「Eckhart, stop getting so irritated. You’ve given your name to the Lord, so you know he’s safe, don’t you?」

Eckhart scanned our faces and frowned.

「You all look unperturbed by the disappearance of your master. You must be slacking.」

「This is the second time Rozemyne has suddenly disappeared before our eyes, so there is nothing we can do about it. As long as Hartmut is keeping a cool head, I don’t think she’s in any harm.」

But that was as far as I could go. Suddenly, with “Ugh?” “Hhh?” and a groan of pain, Hartmut, Clarissa, Matthias, and Laurenz collapsed on the spot.

「What’s going on!?」

Said Eckhart and Justus-sama, but those two seemed completely fine. Only those who had dedicated their names to Rozemyne were crouched on the floor, grimacing in pain.

Still breathing hard and shaking, Hartmut knelt down and began to weep. Among Rozemyne’s retainers, he’s always been particularly sensitive to fluctuations in her mana. Every day after she disappeared in the Royal Academy library, “Rozemyne-sama is growing. It’s wonderful,” he enthused, but he never shed a tear.

「What’s wrong! What happened to Rozemyne!」

……No way.

I had a bad feeling. It’s said that those who offer their names will share life and death with their masters. Something must have happened to Rozemyne beyond our control.

Just thinking about it made me feel as if I was being choked. I hurriedly questioned the still crouching Hartmut.

「Hartmut, is Rozemyne safe?」

「Ah, Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom, whose every color has been repainted at the entreaty of Geduldh, the Goddess of Earth, who could not bear Ewigeliebe, the God of Life. She has been bestowed the loving-kindness of the Supreme Gods, the Gods of Darkness and Light. Her hair is like the night sky of the God of Darkness, and her eyes pierce the night as if belonging to the Goddess of Light. The power of the gods pervades every nook and cranny, and I have truly learned the depths of their favor.」

「What? This… this can’t be…」

Clarissa seemed to understand his words, even though I couldn’t comprehend a single one. Her blue eyes lit up, and for some reason, even Clarissa started to cry. The bad feeling did not leave me. While the rest of us around us were frozen, Hartmut and Clarissa both stood up and started praising the gods and Rozemyne.

The pain that had been inflicted to the others seemed to last only about thirty seconds, as Matthias and Laurenz slowly stood up as well.

They still said things such as “Ow” or “That surprised me”, but no one seemed to be in critical condition. I gave up on questioning the praying Hartmut and Clarissa.

「Matthias, Laurenz, what are those two talking about?」

「…I can tell by the mana binding me that Rozemyne-sama’s mana has changed a lot, like she is a different person, but I can’t say much more than that…」

「Cornelius, please don’t lump us in with these two, will you?」

I still don’t understand what is happening with Rozemyne, but it doesn’t sound like there is any imminent danger. I let out a sigh of relief when I suddenly heard a joyous “Well done!” from Angelica behind me. I turned around to see Magdalena-sama stabbing a dagger into the flank of the Central Knight Commander and Aub Dunkelfelger slamming a sword into his shoulder.

……The battle is won.

Someone quickly tied Hartmut up with a band of light and rolled him into the corner of the auditorium. Everyone looked at Leonore in surprise, and she warned them in a whisper.

「Magdalena-sama is paying attention to us. We don’t want her to take Hartmut’s words the wrong way, as that could hinder future negotiations regarding Rozemyne.」

At that moment, Hartmut and Clarissa became quiet.

「……We will have to report to Ferdinand-sama that the Dunkelfelger knights took silver weapons from the palace. They had them since before entering the auditorium, yes?」1

Leonore calmly pointed out the silver weapon impaling Raublut. All the dangerous silver weapons and tools brought in from Lanzenave should have been gathered in a corner of the Adalgisa Palace. Some of us were given silver weapons for the upcoming battle, but only under Ferdinand-sama’s watchful eye. They were to be returned after the battle’s end.

The same could not be said for Aub Dunkelfelger, who had already left before we finished organizing the weapons. Therefore, he must have obtained those weapons without Ferdinand-sama’s knowledge. Since he and his men had dived immediately at Raublut upon entering the auditorium, they had no chance to steal them from the enemy in the midst of battle.

Isn’t my fiance too good? Simply wonderful.


With Raublut captured, the battle was over. The atmosphere in the auditorium suddenly relaxed, and Prince Anastasius demanded that his guard knights, who had been tied up from all sides by the Dunkelfelger knights, be released. Magdalena-sama was arranging to take the prisoners to the palace.

「What do we do now?」

Strahl approached us to ask for instructions. Normally, we, as the new Aub’s retainers, should be ordering him around. However, we had no clue how to communicate with the knights of Ahrensbach, with whom we had little contact. When I turned to Eckhart to ask his opinion, my brother stepped in front of me to give instructions to Strahl.

「Ahrensbach’s knights will return to the detached palace in shifts, leaving one group behind, and rest to confirm the testimonies we have extracted from the prisoners of war. We will wait for Ferdinand-sama’s return while watching the royal family and Dunkelfelger in the auditorium.」

「The return of Ferdinand-sama? What about Rozemyne-sama……?」

I interrupted Strahl, saying, “It is our job to wait for Rozemyne-sama.” There was no way Eckhart cared about anyone but Ferdinand-sama.

「Okay. My team will stay behind and send the rest back to the villa to rest.」

As Strahl returned to instruct the Ahrensbach knights, I took another look around the auditorium. The building was already beginning to light up, even though it was midnight when we arrived. I felt uncomfortable despite my familiarity with the location, perhaps because the auditorium had turned into the graduation ceremony form.

「Shouldn’t the auditorium be restored to its original state?」

「We don’t want to make it difficult for Ferdinand-sama to return. Keep quiet about that until the royal family realizes it.」

「Still, not having any idea of the timeframe is a bit troublesome. How long did it take for Rozemyne-himesama to return the last time she disappeared?」

During our discussion, white birds flew in one after another, landing on the arms of Aub Dunkelfelger, Prince Anastasius, and Eckhart, before talking in Ferdinand-sama’s voice.

「Eckhart, it’s Ferdinand. Help Prince Anastasius with his supplies. Then assemble Rozemyne’s entourage in the auditorium.」

「You heard him, Cornelius. You stay here!」

Eckhart’s grim face vanished the moment he saw that his master was safe, strolling over to Prince Anastasius with the box that Hartmut and Clarissa had kept safe. Justus-sama departed the auditorium quickly to prepare for Ferdinand-sama’s return.

「I don’t know exactly what is going on, but I have orders from the Goddess of Wisdom! Do not take the prisoners’ lives! Send this message to the royal palace and the detached palace immediately!」

Aub Dunkelfelger’s voice echoed through the auditorium. Strahl sent an Ordonnanz to the Adalgisa Palace, as the men of the Central Order sent an Ordonnanz to the royal palace. The atmosphere, which had been relaxed after the battle, immediately became tense again.

「Ferdinand-sama!」

We, who had been waiting near the door, ran to Ferdinand-sama as he entered the auditorium. Ferdinand-sama had returned alone, and Rozemyne was nowhere to be seen.

「Where is Rozemyne-sama?」

「She has not returned yet. Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom, has descended in order to speak with us about the selection of a new Zent. Now we are acting according to her words.」

「So the goddess has really descended.」

Leonore muttered in surprise as she glanced at Hartmut, who was bound with a band of light and bouncing around like an aquatic creature washed up on land. Ferdinand-sama glanced at him too. After a moment of silence, they looked back at each other as if nothing had happened.

「How should we act?」

Leonore did not ask about the coming of the goddess, the selection of a new Zent, or Rozemyne’s current situation, but about our future course of action. Wait a minute, we can’t simply drop this subject. I still have no idea what is happening to Rozemyne.

「Ferdinand-sama, what do you mean the goddess descended on Rozemyne-sama? Where did it happen?」

「I’m not going into the details here because we don’t have time. Repeat your orders after me. The guard knights are to prepare a silver cloth to hide the returned Rozemyne and wait in front of the door of the room with the teleportation circle.」

By making us repeat our orders, Ferdinand-sama forcibly silenced us.

「Rozemyne is filled with the power of the goddess. It shines from within, making her intimidating and hard to approach. We had best not to show the current Rozemyne to others because it will cause unnecessary trouble.」

Laurenz, who had been entangled with Hartmut, raised his eyebrows and muttered quietly.

「…I find that a bit hard to believe…」

「I don’t care if you believe me or not. You’ll know it when you see it.」

Saying this, Ferdinand-sama glanced at the Dunkelfelger knights who were listening to our conversation. I could tell from his gesture that he did not want to give them any more information, nor was he going to answer our questions.

「Do not use the transfer door to the dormitory. Instead take your Highbeast to the Ehrenfest dormitory without being seen by others. After that, let Ehrenfest take care of the logistics. Clarissa will be in charge of preparing Rozemyne’s medicine.」

Ferdinand-sama handed Clarissa two medicines and gave her instructions on how to administer them. Clarissa turned to Hartmut with a concerned look.

「Are you sure you want me to take care of Rozemyne-sama’s medicine?」

「Hartmut cannot do it, as he will be coming with us to the Central Temple.」

「But Ferdinand-sama, handling Rozemyne-sama’s medicine is my job.」

Hartmut retorted in desperation, bouncing around on the floor. But Ferdinand-sama completely ignored his noisy voice and glanced over the guard knights.

「The prisoners in the palace will be taken care of by the knights of Ahrensbach, so when Rozemyne returns, you should take a rest too. After Rozemyne’s recovery, we will have a meeting with the royal family. Ask the servants how long it will take to prepare her costume and accessories. When Rozemyne is recovered and able to move, have her practice the dedicatory dance. That is necessary for the rituals she will perform as the avatar of Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom.」

Hartmut’s complaints stopped as his orange eyes flashed with renewed light.

「She will perform a dedication dance as the avatar of Mestionora? Clarissa, take care of Rozemyne-sama’s medicine. I must accompany Ferdinand-sama to the Central Temple to negotiate the details of the rituals.」

Hartmut would never allow the Central Temple control over such an important ritual, so it’s only natural that he places the ritual higher in priority than Rozemyne’s medicine. He was quickly released after his silence made it clear that he would comply with Ferdinand-sama’s orders.

……Everything was as Ferdinand-sama wanted it.

「That’s all. Go.」

Ferdinand-sama waved his hand at us before walking over to Aub Dunkelfelger and Magdalena-sama. Meanwhile, Hartmut ran over to the others accompanying him to the temple. I turned to face the retainers who were still here.

「We divide up the roles. Laurenz and I will stand guard in front of the teleportation room in case Rozemyne returns before the silver cloth arrives. Angelica and Matthias are to secure enough silver cloth to hide Rozemyne before she returns. Leonore will go with Clarissa to the dormitories to prepare her room for rest.」

We did not inform the Ehrenfest dormitory that Rozemyne would have to rest there before the battle, so we needed to double check the preparations there. Leonore nodded “Okay” at my words and asked me to stay in the auditorium.

「Cornelius, you are skilled at physical enhancements. Can I ask you to gather information and act as a liaison? At least until Ferdinand-sama and the others leave.」

I accepted the task. With enhanced eyesight and hearing, I can watch Ferdinand-sama and listen carefully to any information he exchanges with Dunkelfelger.

But Ferdinand-sama was as secretive as ever and refused to say much. My only real gain was seeing him threaten Magdalena-sama over Prince Hildebrand’s acquisition of a Schtappe in order to force her to do what he wanted. Aside from that, Ferdinand-sama only gave out a few instructions before leaving the auditorium with Hartmut and Prince Anastasius. After seeing them off, I also left the auditorium.


「Cornelius, is this enough cloth?」

「It should be enough. Leonore, how was the dormitory?」

「Justus-sama arrived first, so Rihyarda and the others already started preparing the rooms. Clarissa immediately went to the mixing room.」

Us guard knights had gathered in front of the teleportation circle room leading to the Country Gate, but Rozemyne didn’t return after two and a half bells. We waited a bit longer and suddenly, a magic tool letter flew in. In Rozemyne’s handwriting it said: “I am back”.

「Matthias, Laurenz, secure the passage to the north door. Angelica, Leonore, get the cloths ready.」

「Roger!」

After making sure everyone was ready, I replied to Rozemyne with: “We’re waiting at the door and will take you back to the dormitory via Highbeast. Cover your mouth and come out quietly.”

The door opened with a small click. The windowless teleportation circle room was faintly bright, and that light source was Rozemyne.

Thud! Angelica immediately covered Rozemyne with the cloth. However, her uncovered feet were still emitting a faint light. Once Angelica picked her up, Leonore covered her feet with another silver cloth.

Suddenly wrapped in cloth and lifted up, Rozemyne let out a small gasp of surprise. But there was no time for a detailed explanation since we were ordered to not let anyone see her. Besides, we couldn’t answer any questions in the first place since we didn’t know the details either.

We pretended not to notice Rozemyne’s surprise and ran out of the central building at full speed, before riding our Highbeasts towards the Ehrenfest dormitory.


「I’m sorry, Rozemyne-sama.」

Arriving at the dormitory, Leonore apologized and removed the silver cloth covering Rozemyne. Her appearance was dazzling. Ferdinand-sama had told us about this beforehand, but to be honest, I thought nothing could beat her sudden growth spurt. In fact, neither Rozemyne’s face shape nor her height has changed.

This intimidating and divine light was radiating from inside of her body. Rozemyne spoke less than usual probably because of her tiredness and poor physical condition, and her facial expression was pretty stiff. All of this combined to make her look like a completely different person. I had doubted the descent of the goddess, but seeing her like this, I could not doubt her power. I felt the urge to distance myself from her, since I didn’t deserve to be this close.

……No, I’m her brother.

After the growth incident, Rozemyne had practically forced me to pat her head in order to prevent me from distancing myself. I’m not going to let her give me that look twice.

「…Cornelius, Leonore, Matthias, Laurenz?」

I gasped when she called my name. Rozemyne had said something, but I hadn’t heard it.

「Oh, this is… I mean…」

「What is it, Cornelius-niisama?」

「It’s the power of the Goddess. Ferdinand-sama gave us strict orders to take you to the dormitory in secret, hidden in the silver cloth he confiscated from Lanzenave.」

The power of the goddess was so intense that I had difficulty making eye contact, but apparently Rozemyne was unaware of it. She only tilted her head slightly in wonder.

「Well, may I put this cloth back on and let Angelica carry you to your room so as not to confuse the others?」

Rozemyne accepted Leonore’s offer, but I noticed her eyes averted from Rozemyne just like mine. After getting wrapped in a silver cloth again, Angelica carried Rozemyne away in her arms.

「Please rest at ease.」

The male knights and I remained on the second floor as we watched Rozemyne and the others ascend to the third floor. Once they were completely out of sight, we started walking to our assigned rooms.

「Wow, the power of the goddess is amazing.」

Laurenz exhaled in awe, and I nodded my head in agreement. I never thought my sister could be so divine.

「Anyone would call her a goddess incarnate after seeing that, not just Hartmut. I’m too much in awe to approach her. Oh, but her namesworns should already be accustomed to the power of the goddess. Do you guys also find her hard to approach?」

Rozemyne’s sudden change in mana was because the goddess’s power overflowed when she descended on her. Since the namesworns are bound by this same mana, I expected them to have some extent of resistance to it.

I could ask Hartmut, but I’m sure he won’t give me a satisfactory answer. I decided to ask the two decent people instead.

Laurenz, who had been thinking for a while, shook his head of dark green hair from side to side and turned his orange eyes to me. The lack of his usual smile made his face look serious.

「I don’t find her difficult to approach, but I do feel an urge to kneel down. As if seeing her inspires loyalty.」

「Wait. Don’t say the latter part with a serious face.」

Laurenz was known for making light of everything, so this only highlighted the gravity of the situation. Not knowing whether he was joking or serious, I turned to the usually solemn Matthias. Matthias nodded his head with his usual expression, his blue eyes staring right at me.

「I can indeed feel a divine aura coming from her. At the same time, I feel proud to offer my name and to serve with all I have. I’m certain to accomplish whatever she commands of me.」

「Calm down! Both of you are talking like Hartmut.」

I never expected such words from Matthias. I had compared him to Hartmut to make him come to his senses, but for some reason Matthias nodded his head again and again while still looking completely serious.

「You mean that Hartmut always felt this way about Rozemyne-sama?」

「His manner of thinking kinda turned me off before, but I think I can understand him. Now I can pray to Rozemyne-sama too.」

「Stop it!」

I desperately attempt to stop them from praying. I had the horrible feeling that the whole entourage was turning into Hartmuts. My face reflexively grimaced at the frightening prospect.

  1. Line cut from original SS due to text limits. ↩

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